Anacortes, Washington
Downtown Anacortes
By GERRY BARKER
North Palm Beach Life
Published May. 2023
Photos/Video by Gerry Barker
Day Five of our Grand Puget Sound cruise on American Cruise Lines finds our ship, American Constellation, docked in Anacortes, Washington, a city of some 20,000 people on the north shore of Fidalgo Island. We arrived yesterday around 6:30 pm, and will stay here another night before continuing our voyage around the San Juan Islands.
Hard to believe, but we have reached the half-way point in our 10-night journey. We've found time runs at a different pace when you're on a cruise.
Just to prove travel writing isn't all glitz and glam, we are starting our day with a trip to the ship's Guest Laundry, where we'll freshen up and wash some clothes. Not only is the laundry free to use, but also I learn from Rick, the hotel general manager, housekeeping will also do laundry on request -- no charge.
In fact, it's hard for guests to spend anything extra on this cruise. The meals, the drinks -- alcoholic and otherwise, gratuities, pretty much everything except premium excursions, are all included in your fare. Rick also said if a guest prefers a certain brand of wine or spirits, and lets them know in advance, it will be waiting for them when they arrive.
You could say I put that to the test when I couldn't get the soft drink I prefer, Coke Zero. Within 24 hours, a crew member was knocking on my stateroom door with two cans of Coke Zero, with more stocked in the lounge. Color me impressed.
The ship is offering a number of interesting excursions here, including a "Walking Experience" of this seaside port town, a "Hiking Adventure," along a coastal trail that skirts the Salish Sea, a "Jet Boat Adventure" in an open-air boat or making a local loop in a bus. We opt to layer up and strike out on our own to discover Anacortes, a town my late brother used to call home.
North Palm Beach Life
Published May. 2023
Photos/Video by Gerry Barker
Day Five of our Grand Puget Sound cruise on American Cruise Lines finds our ship, American Constellation, docked in Anacortes, Washington, a city of some 20,000 people on the north shore of Fidalgo Island. We arrived yesterday around 6:30 pm, and will stay here another night before continuing our voyage around the San Juan Islands.
Hard to believe, but we have reached the half-way point in our 10-night journey. We've found time runs at a different pace when you're on a cruise.
Just to prove travel writing isn't all glitz and glam, we are starting our day with a trip to the ship's Guest Laundry, where we'll freshen up and wash some clothes. Not only is the laundry free to use, but also I learn from Rick, the hotel general manager, housekeeping will also do laundry on request -- no charge.
In fact, it's hard for guests to spend anything extra on this cruise. The meals, the drinks -- alcoholic and otherwise, gratuities, pretty much everything except premium excursions, are all included in your fare. Rick also said if a guest prefers a certain brand of wine or spirits, and lets them know in advance, it will be waiting for them when they arrive.
You could say I put that to the test when I couldn't get the soft drink I prefer, Coke Zero. Within 24 hours, a crew member was knocking on my stateroom door with two cans of Coke Zero, with more stocked in the lounge. Color me impressed.
The ship is offering a number of interesting excursions here, including a "Walking Experience" of this seaside port town, a "Hiking Adventure," along a coastal trail that skirts the Salish Sea, a "Jet Boat Adventure" in an open-air boat or making a local loop in a bus. We opt to layer up and strike out on our own to discover Anacortes, a town my late brother used to call home.
It's a gloriously sunny day with temps in the 50s -- the weather gods are indeed smiling -- and it's a short walk past the pier to the town's main street, with its charming mix of historic buildings and shops. Our first stop is the combination Hardware Store/Alley Cats Antiques, and when I say they have everything you can imagine, believe it.
There's all manner of marine items, garden art, glassware, furniture, books, postcards and vintage jewelry, and much more (there was even a large, yellow cat curled up sleeping by the cash register -- not for sale, by the way). Pam zeroed in on the jewelry, and found several pieces that will be accompanying us back to Palm Beach.
Just down the street is a coffee shop/bookstore, where we learned about the people and murals painted on many of the shop walls. They depict persons who have historical ties to the city.
Speaking of history, our next stop was the Anacortes Museum, just a few blocks off the main drag. Housed in a 1910 building that was at one time the city library, admission is free. There's a major exhibit on "Photographing Anacortes," which spotlights the photographers who captured the city through the decades. Adam, the docent on duty, told us many thousand of the photos have been digitized and are available online.
As it was getting to be lunchtime, we decided to head back to ther ship, where returning passengers were being served the ship's own version of a Brandy Alexander, with lots of chocolate bits. Yum -- we'll take two, thank you.
For lunch, we grabbed a hot dog and fries in the Sky Lounge and found a table on the outdoor deck -- the perfect place to enjoy this sunny, early spring day in the Northwest.
Later this afternoon, there's a program on "Whales of the Pacific Northwest" in the Cascade Lounge, which is timely, since our next port of call is Friday Harbor, Washington, the San Juan Island where we are signed up for the "Whale Watching Cruise." We can't wait. Stay tuned.
NEXT: Friday Harbor
There's all manner of marine items, garden art, glassware, furniture, books, postcards and vintage jewelry, and much more (there was even a large, yellow cat curled up sleeping by the cash register -- not for sale, by the way). Pam zeroed in on the jewelry, and found several pieces that will be accompanying us back to Palm Beach.
Just down the street is a coffee shop/bookstore, where we learned about the people and murals painted on many of the shop walls. They depict persons who have historical ties to the city.
Speaking of history, our next stop was the Anacortes Museum, just a few blocks off the main drag. Housed in a 1910 building that was at one time the city library, admission is free. There's a major exhibit on "Photographing Anacortes," which spotlights the photographers who captured the city through the decades. Adam, the docent on duty, told us many thousand of the photos have been digitized and are available online.
As it was getting to be lunchtime, we decided to head back to ther ship, where returning passengers were being served the ship's own version of a Brandy Alexander, with lots of chocolate bits. Yum -- we'll take two, thank you.
For lunch, we grabbed a hot dog and fries in the Sky Lounge and found a table on the outdoor deck -- the perfect place to enjoy this sunny, early spring day in the Northwest.
Later this afternoon, there's a program on "Whales of the Pacific Northwest" in the Cascade Lounge, which is timely, since our next port of call is Friday Harbor, Washington, the San Juan Island where we are signed up for the "Whale Watching Cruise." We can't wait. Stay tuned.
NEXT: Friday Harbor
